Environment Suwako's Omiwatari phenomenon absent for 7th year

Photo credit: Hokuriku Shinkansen

Photo credit: Nagano Prefecture​

Legend has it that Omiwatari is the route Takeminakata, the male god of the Suwa Taisha shrine complex's Kamisha Shrine in Suwa, used to visit the goddess Yasakatome of its Shimosha Shrine in the neighbouring town of Shimosuwa. For that reason, it is also called the "path of love of the gods." According to Miyasaka, the Omiwatari was first recorded in 1397. It was written about in documents passed down by the Moriya cla,n which once headed Suwa Taisha's Kamisha Shrine. This was the 583rd year its presence or lack thereof has been recorded, after it was once discontinued, but has been kept up annually since 1443, in the mid-Muromachi period. Including five years for which records are lost, "ake no umi" has occurred 81 times, including 40 times in the 75 years since 1951, inclusively. The rate has picked up particularly since 2000, with 18 years since lacking the Omiwatari phenomenon. It has not yet been seen since Japan entered the Reiwa era in 2019. Worried, Miyasaka commented, "The views of Lake Suwa that have been around for a long time are disappearing. The time may soon arrive when the 'Omiwatari' will become a legend as an event of the past."

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Global warming blamed for 7-year absence of 'gods' path' winter ice ridge on Japan lake - The Mainichi

SUWA, Nagano -- A natural phenomenon called

mainichi.jp

The Omiwatari Religious Ritual: Climate Change and Intangible Loss

Climate change is altering a centuries-old Shinto ritual in Japan, highlighting the importance of addressing the less visible signs of a changing planet.

news.climate.columbia.edu

musicisgood said:

The natural balance of nature is at work. Let's say " climate change " and get an NGO that is funded by the government and do nothing and make millions. And do nothing.
I hate it when people say "climate change", its not, the balance of Mother Nature at work which it has since the beginning of time.

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Grandpa Frank said:

I think it was 5th grade where we learned weather goes in 20 to 30 year cycles ; so at some point in the future we will be worrying about another ice age , LOL. Common sense says the cleaner we make the air , the more sunlight gets through and heats the earth. Now I read some fancy information a scientist dreamed up to explain that that's not why we get global warming , but lately it seems they say who ever pays them tells them what to say. I'm betting a really good blast of volcano dust filling the atmosphere and blocking the sun in the future will solve the problem. Maybe it living in Maine where we had a super cold winter so far affects my poor brain.

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mdchachi said:

explain climate change to me like I was 5

Sure! Imagine Earth is like a big, cozy blanket that keeps us warm. The sun sends us light and warmth, and the blanket helps trap some of that warmth so we don't get too cold. But here's the thing: when we drive cars, use electricity, or make things in factories, we create something called pollution. This pollution is like adding too many extra blankets on top of the Earth.

Now, with too many blankets, the Earth starts to get too warm. This is called climate change. When the Earth gets too warm, it can cause problems like melting ice, rising oceans, and weird weather, like super hot days or really big storms.

So, just like we take off extra blankets when we're too hot, we need to stop adding so much pollution to help Earth stay just the right temperature.


explain to me like I'm 5 that this is false: when people say "climate change", it's really the balance of Mother Nature at work which it has since the beginning of time.

Okay! Imagine you have a toy car that you push gently—it moves a little and then stops. That's like how nature works on its own—it changes slowly and stays balanced. But now imagine someone else comes along and keeps pushing the car really hard, over and over. The car goes too fast, crashes, and doesn't work the way it's supposed to anymore.

That's what's happening with climate change. People are like the person pushing the car too hard—we're doing things (like burning gas and cutting down trees) that make the Earth heat up way faster than it would on its own. Nature can't fix it fast enough because we're changing things too quickly.

So when people say, "It's just Mother Nature doing her thing," it's not true—it's more like we're making a big mess, and nature can't clean it up fast enough. We need to help by being nicer to the Earth!


explain to me like I'm 5 that this is true: when people say "climate change", it's really the balance of Mother Nature at work which it has since the beginning of time.

Okay! Imagine Earth is like a big playground, and Mother Nature is the person who takes care of it. She's been balancing the swings, slides, and sandbox for a very long time, making sure everything works just right. Sometimes, the weather changes a little—like when it gets warmer in summer or colder in winter—but that's just part of how Mother Nature keeps everything in balance.

When people say "climate change", some think it's just Mother Nature doing her normal job, like she's always done. They believe the Earth has gone through warm and cold times before, and it's just part of the big cycle of how the planet works.

So, in this way, it's true that Mother Nature has always been balancing things, and some changes are just part of her plan. But the tricky part is that people are now making things happen faster than Mother Nature can handle, which is why we need to be careful and help her out

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